What's the deal with soft shackles?
I'm sure like everything else there are good ones and bad ones. What should we be looking for? Are there go to brands/models?

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I am assuming "soft" means an alloy of steel that has a ductile failure mode. Basically in non-engineering terms, the steel will bend before it breaks. This is always preferred over a brittle failure, which basically means it will just snap and release all the load all at once.

Always check the stamped rating on your shackles, if they aren't stamped throw them in the trash. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers has requirements for rigging hardware and marking and labeling is one of the requirements. They should have the rated load, manufacturer, and size at a minimum. If you want some light reading on rigging hardware pick up a copy of ASME B30.26. Depending on wether or not your shackles were designed following ASME they should be designed with a factor of 5 and tested to a factor of 2 but for your own good use one with a rating 2-3 times the load you plan to put on it.

I didn't stay at a holiday inn express last night but I do have a mechanical engineering degree.

I am assuming "soft" means an alloy of steel that has a ductile failure mode. Basically in non-engineering terms, the steel will bend before it breaks. This is always preferred over a brittle failure, which basically means it will just snap and release all the load all at once.

Always check the stamped rating on your shackles, if they aren't stamped throw them in the trash. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers has requirements for rigging hardware and marking and labeling is one of the requirements. They should have the rated load, manufacturer, and size at a minimum. If you want some light reading on rigging hardware pick up a copy of ASME B30.26. Depending on wether or not your shackles were designed following ASME they should be designed with a factor of 5 and tested to a factor of 2 but for your own good use one with a rating 2-3 times the load you plan to put on it.

I didn't stay at a holiday inn express last night but I do have a mechanical engineering degree.

I am assuming "soft" means an alloy of steel that has a ductile failure mode. Basically in non-engineering terms, the steel will bend before it breaks. This is always preferred over a brittle failure, which basically means it will just snap and release all the load all at once.

Always check the stamped rating on your shackles, if they aren't stamped throw them in the trash. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers has requirements for rigging hardware and marking and labeling is one of the requirements. They should have the rated load, manufacturer, and size at a minimum. If you want some light reading on rigging hardware pick up a copy of ASME B30.26. Depending on wether or not your shackles were designed following ASME they should be designed with a factor of 5 and tested to a factor of 2 but for your own good use one with a rating 2-3 times the load you plan to put on it.

I didn't stay at a holiday inn express last night but I do have a mechanical engineering degree.

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I pretend to be a mechanical engineer at work sometimes when one of the real ones isn't around, but I was asking about what Joon posted.